Digimon Revolution
by windwarrior234
Summary: Ordinary teen Scott Maverick is suddenly and mysteriously drawn into the Digital World, where he meets his own partner Coronamon. As he meets other children in the same situation he's in, they slowly begin to learn more about this new world and the evils that plague it. But when those evils turn their sights on them, will they be able to survive and get back home?
1. It's a Whole New World

**Digimon Revolution: Chapter 1**

**It's a Whole New World  
**

Scott really didn't know why his parents thought it was important for him to go to this stupid retreat anyway. He wasn't interested in attending it to begin with but his folks were insistent. Of course when he protested, they practically forced him to change his mind, which only contributed to the bad mood he found himself in. The retreat wasn't even that interesting anyway; it was just a trip up to some lodge upstate and whoever had signed up would be staying up there for the duration of their winter break. It was something the students themselves had worked hard to make happen with the teachers supporting it, though Scott didn't take part in the fundraising. He just wasn't a "people person" so the idea of spending the week with people he really didn't know really wasn't appealing to him. His parents, though, were concerned with his lack of friends so they had been insistent on him going on the retreat anyway.

Thus now here he was, sitting in one of the rooms of the lodge, brooding on the bed about his misfortune. He would admit it was a good day outside; the sun was shining in the crystal clear skies, the light reflecting off of the fresh white snow on the ground. Even from his room, he could hear the muffled voices of people outside enjoying the winter weather. Skiing, sledding, skating, whatever winter sport that could be imagined. And of course snowball fights. But he really didn't care much about any of that. He would have preferred being home rather than here. Turning back now wasn't an option however, so he decided he should at least try and find something to do before he died of boredom. The brunette haired teen sat up and leaned over the side of the bed, reaching down for the bag that held his laptop.

_"Might as well play some computer games while I'm alone…" _he thought. Setting up the device on the small round table besides the window, he opened the screen. His navy blue eyes caught sight of his own dulled reflection in the blackness of the monitor for a moment before it sprung to life, bright blues lighting up the screen. The fourteen-year-old didn't need to wait long for his laptop to completely start up and soon he was scrolling through the start menu looking for a game to play. Just as he was about to click his selection, however, a window suddenly opened on his screen, making him jump a bit in surprise.

"What the heck? I didn't open anything yet, did I?" Scott wondered aloud, frowning in puzzlement. A message appeared in the new window, along with two buttons for choices, and he quickly read over it. "_Do you want to start a new game? _What kind of strange question is that?" The rational part of his mind told him to X out of the window and pretend nothing ever happened, but the curious part of him wanted to know more about this. What "new game" was it talking about? After a moment of mental deliberation and against his better judgment, Scott clicked on the "Yes" reply. As soon as he did, the window changed as did the message written in it.

_"Scott Maverick, your journey begins now." _a voice suddenly spoke from his computer, causing his eyes to widen in shock. He immediately stood up, nearly knocking his chair over in the process, as he stared at the machine in front of him. How the hell did this thing know his name like that?!

"Wait, what are you talking about?!" he demanded. He never received a vocal answer to his inquiry. Instead, the monitor began to glow brightly and Scott swore he heard the sound of something opening, almost like a digitized door. Without warning, he felt a strange pulling sensation on his body, as if something was beckoning to him. To his horror, he realized that something from his laptop was pulling him towards it, but before he could scream, he suddenly vanished inside the machine. The room was left eerily silent with the laptop sitting on the table, innocent as could be.

(Current Day: Digital World: Tropical Forest)

Scott felt completely disoriented, like he had just gotten off of a high-velocity carnival ride and his head was still spinning. He faintly realized that he was lying on a patch of ground somewhere and remained where he was, feeling too dizzy to try and stand. "Ugh, did anyone get the license plate of that truck…?" he muttered. As his vision finally began to settle, he saw that he wasn't sitting in his room at the lodge anymore, but he was suddenly in the middle of a vast, lush forest. Tall grass grew all around him as trees grew to great heights, a canopy of leaves offering some shade from the rays of the bright sun. It was unusually warm for wintertime and there wasn't a speck of snow to be seen. Something told him that he definitely wasn't in Illinois anymore.

Finally mustering the will to stand, Scott surveyed his surroundings with a slightly nervous expression. "Alright…I'm stuck in the middle of some weird tropical forest with no idea how I got here or how to get back home…but I'm sure if I just start walking somewhere I'll find some people who can give me a hand…" he surmised to himself. Though there was a strong chance that he could just end up even more lost than he already was…He shook his head to clear his mind of such thoughts. They wouldn't help him here. He just had to focus on getting out of here somehow…

"Hello?! Is anybody out here?!" he called out as he began to walk, looking around for any signs of life. "Anybody, please! I don't know where I am!" There was an unsettling silence in the forest that he couldn't help but begin to notice as he was met with no reply. There were no birds chirping and no bugs buzzing about…There were no sounds of animals foraging for food or, well, anything. It was far too quiet for any natural settling and it was slowly beginning to really freak Scott out.

"Okay, I'd really love some help right about now!" he stated a bit louder than his previous calls, panic beginning to set in. He had no idea where he was, it was way too quiet, he had no means of protection just in case, heaven forbid, that he was attacked by some wild creature and he certainly didn't know anything about hunting for food. There were so many questions and concerns flying around his mind that it was threatening to completely overwhelm him. Feeling a stress headache coming on, he tentatively began to massage his temples, letting out an agitated groan. "What the hell should I do?!" he remarked aloud, annoyed with the situation he had inexplicably found himself in. He never thought that he'd desire some form of company more than he did now…

"Scott!" a young-sounded voice echoed from the forest, making the mentioned teen freeze in place. A knot tightened in his chest as fear took hold, but Scott forced himself to remain straight-faced as best he could. He didn't recognize the voice at all, but how did someone here know his name? It was just like the crazy message from the laptop before this all happened….Did that have something to do with it? "Scott!" the voice called again, sounding closer than it had before. There was a tone of excitement to it that made Scott wonder just who would be so thrilled to see him of all people.

"W-Who's there?!" he called back, taking a step back. He was mentally prepared to run for his life if he had to, but whoever was approaching at least sounded friendly. However, when his mysterious guest burst out of the bushes in an excited frenzy, Scott couldn't stop the scream of terror that escaped his throat. This was justified by the fact that the _thing _that jumped out at him was by no means human. It wasn't too tall, coming up to about Scott's hips, but it wasn't like anything the teen had seen before. Covered in dark orange fur, it looked like a bipedal lion with a large tuff of golden fur on its chest. It wore some kind of tiara-looking ornament on its forehead that was aglow with a small flame, similar to the one that burned at the end of its tail. It also wore bracelets that resembled the crown on its head, apparently having some meaning for the creature, but heck if Scott knew what it was. The creature's face was innocent looking enough at least, with dark blue eyes alit with excitement and a cute feline nose.

"Scott! It's so nice to finally meet you!" the creature cheered happily, nuzzling up against Scott's leg much to the petrified teen's silent horror. "I've been waiting so long!" The brunette tensed, his face pale. His first instinct was to run as fast as he could possibly muster and never ever look back for fear this thing would somehow kill him. But his curiosity – which would one day damn him, he knew – couldn't help but wonder just what this creature was and what it was talking about. Finally managing to find his voice, he squeaked out a statement.

"W-Who…are you?" he asked cautiously, regarding the small lion creature with a cautious gaze. The orange beast released Scott's leg and proudly grinned up at him.

"I'm Coronamon!" he introduced himself. "I'm a Rookie level Digimon of the fire element and I've been waiting for, like, -ever- to meet you! You don't even know!" The excitement in the little monster's voice was clear and it actually helped to calm Scott down a bit, actually getting a small smile out of him. The little guy was awfully cute in his own way, though some things he said definitely caught Scott's attention.

"Erm…well you seem to know what the heck you're talking about, so…what's a Digimon, exactly? What do you mean you've been waiting for me? And where the heck are we anyway?" he asked, letting the questions fly out of his mouth without much of a thought. Coronamon tilted his head curiously at the teen, almost as if he didn't believe Scott was asking those questions, but he didn't say anything about it.

"I'm a Digimon! It's short for Digital Monster, but everyone just calls us Digimon, it's easier that way! We're in the middle of the Data Jungle, which is on the continent of Folder! And I've been waiting for you cause we're supposed to be partners!" the orange lion explained cheerfully, giving a happy smile after his explanation was finished. Scott couldn't help but have even more questions now that his first ones were answered, feeling confusion and a tiny bit of dread crawling up into his stomach.

"Partners, huh?" he questioned with a small frown. "What for? And this continent is called Folder? Just what is this place?" None of this was making any sense…If there was some mysterious new continent on Earth he was pretty sure people would know more about it, especially if it was inhabited by talking animal monsters like this one.

"We're in the Digital World, silly! Where did you think we were?" Coronamon replied. Scott felt himself paling a bit once again. Just when he had regained most of his composure, they had to go and drop another bombshell on him…

"Wait, Digital World?! Does that mean I'm not even on Earth anymore?!" At the worry and fear in his partner's voice, Coronamon's enthusiasm began to temper off as well, a small frown of disappointment coming onto his face.

"No, I'm pretty sure this isn't Earth…I'm sorry…" he said sadly. "I was only really told my whole life that a human boy named Scott was going to be my partner and that I had to find you. You answered the call at long last so I came all the way here to find you!" The young Digimon perked up rather quickly, only more nuzzling against his partner. Scott didn't flinch away this time, but he didn't return the affection, his mind racing with too many thoughts surrounding these shocking revelations. He wasn't even _on _Earth anymore…Instead he was stranded on some weird alternative dimension with talking monsters who wanted to be partners for some random reason…Before he even really realized it, Scott had sat down, with Coronamon quickly sitting down next to him and nuzzling into his arm.

"I have to find a way back home…" he muttered. Coronamon looked up at this statement, his eyes wide with surprise and fear.

"Wait, you have to go already?! B-But we just met!" he protested. "You can't go yet! Please, don't go!" he pleaded. Scott was surprised by just how attached and clingy the little lion was to him already. They had only known each other for five minutes and yet Coronamon already felt so strongly connected to him? A part of Scott couldn't help but be touched. The teen hesitated for a moment before he tentatively reached out and gently petted the top of Coronamon's head, much like how he'd pet a cat. The young Digimon's eyes lit up in bliss at the affection and Scott gave a small smile.

"Look…I do have to find a way home eventually…but I really have no idea how this world works or how to really take care of myself in the wild…and you seem intent on being my partner more than anything. So how about we stick together for now and see what happens?" he suggested. Usually he didn't care much for the company of other people, being more independent and down-to-earth, but he had no experience in the wilderness. Having Coronamon around would help out immensely…and besides, it was really hard to say no to that face. It'd feel like kicking a kitten if he crushed the poor little mon's expectations. His proposal seemed to greatly please the fire Digimon, as he immediately let out a happy cheer and jumped on top of Scott in a hug, causing the teen to yelp in surprise from being knocked over.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! You won't regret it!" he cried happily. Scott couldn't help but chuckle a bit, though he carefully picked Coronamon off of himself and placed the Digimon off on the side so he could sit up. He'd have to teach his partner that he really didn't like all of this cuddly touchy-feely stuff…though that thought did remind him of another question to ask.

"We'll see about that, but why are you so convinced that I'm the person you're looking for? I mean I'm not the only kid named Scott in the world…" he stated. He may be the only kid in the Digital World, but on Earth, there were thousands of other Scotts. What made him so special?

"Cause you have a Digivice, that's why!" the blue-eyed lion answered as if it were the simplest thing in the world. He gestured to Scott's waist, pointing to a small device clipped to his belt. With a befuddled expression, the boy unclipped the device and examined it in his hand. It was about the size of an iPhone, rectangular in shape as well. On the front side was a wide screen that was mostly blank, save for a clock in the top left corner and several icons that no doubt lead to other functions. Flipping the device over in his palm, Scott saw the back was mostly dark orange, with a yellow stripe going along one side. The color scheme matched Coronamon to a T…Was that just a coincidence?

"Wow…I can't believe I didn't notice this thing before…" he commented. Then another thought occurred to him; he didn't remember putting on a belt this morning either. In his earlier state of panic and confusion, not to mention meeting Coronamon, he hadn't taken notice of some changes to his person that now stuck out like a sore thumb. Gone were the thicker clothes he had been wearing at the lodge to keep warm. Now he was wearing an outfit much more appropriate for adventuring; a pair of red and white sneakers replaced the slippers he had been wearing before and instead of the sweatpants he had in the lodge, he was now wearing a pair of dark grey cargo shorts, complete with several pockets and a dark brown belt wrapped around his waist. On top of that, a red and yellow flame-patterned button-up shirt replaced the sweater he wore earlier, with a white t-shirt underneath it. Perhaps the strangest part of the wardrobe, though, was the pair of red-rimmed goggles that hung around Scott's neck. He examined them for a moment, bewilderment clear on his face. "Guess I didn't notice a lot of things before…" he amended to his previous comment. This was definitely a strange world…

"C'mon, I can get us out of the jungle!" Coronamon stated, snapping Scott out of his reverie. The teen smiled at that and nodded, standing up from his position on the ground. Quickly wiping off any dirt on his person, he looked to his partner expectantly.

"Alright then, I'll let you lead the way." he stated. The lion puffed his chest out proudly as he took point, beckoning for his partner to follow after him. Scott couldn't help but chuckle lightly to himself at the orange creature's behavior. He really was just too cute, to the point where he felt he might get diabetes from standing around him for too long. He supposed it could be worse, though…he could still be stuck in this strange jungle by himself. But now he had quite the mystery on his hands…What was he doing here in the Digital World? How was he going to get home? And who decided that he and Coronamon were meant to be partners? Perhaps if he found that person, he'd be able to get home…

(An hour later: Edge of Data Jungle)

Scott's feet were beginning to ache as he and Coronamon continued to trudge their way through the thick flora of the jungle. Part of him wished that his wardrobe upgrade had come with a machete so cutting their way through these plants would be easier. His partner's claws, though, were working just as fine, and it seemed the little guy was enjoying all the exercise. It still bewildered him how there could be so much energy stored up inside such a small body. Maybe Digimon just naturally had a higher endurance than a human did. It wouldn't surprise him if that was the case. There didn't appear to be too many settlements in this world, so more than likely, everyone had to fend for themselves. Though he had only been here a short time so he couldn't make any accurate predictions about the place as a whole yet. All he knew is that there were no humans and all the residents were Digimon.

"We're almost at the end!" Coronamon spoke up, snapping Scott out of his thoughts. This news brought out a sigh of relief from the weary teen.

"Oh thank God…" he remarked softly. Walking through the thick wilderness of the jungle was a reminder about why Scott had never enjoyed long outdoor excursions. Physically, they were quite exhausting and add to the mental tiredness he had begun to feel as well, he would be perfectly fine with finding a nice place to nap to regain some energy. A few minutes passed before Coronamon cut through the last of the plants blocking their way, revealing a dirt path lined straight through the jungle. Gazing down the path to the left, one could see clear blue skies and open grassland, much like a prairie, in the distance.

"We just need to follow this path now. Then we'll leave the Data Jungle area and head right into the Armadi Grasslands! There's a little village there that might be able to help us out!" the young Digimon explained.

"So Digimon have settlements like humans do, too…" Scott mused at this new information. His earlier assessment, it seemed, was mistaken. "Though why is it called the Armadi Grasslands?" he asked, looking to Coronamon for an explanation.

"Cause most of the Digimon who live there are related to the Armadillomon!" the fire lion replied. "The Armadillomon tribe has lived there since, like, forever! It's always been where they made their home." The human boy had no idea what an Armadillomon was or if they'd be friendly, but he supposed that he'd get to see a few before the day was over. _"Even though this world is insane, it's also really interesting…I can't help but want to know more about it." _Scott admitted in his mind. When he got home no one was ever going to believe any of this…

Suddenly, Coronamon tensed, looking behind them with a small scowl on his feline face. Scott immediately caught onto his partner's change in demeanor and couldn't help but be concerned. It was such a drastic shift of attitude…Before he could voice any of his concerns however Coronamon quickly tackled Scott, causing the boy to let out a startled cry of shock. A large trunk-like branch slammed into the ground where Scott had been standing only mere seconds ago, announcing the arrival of a less-than-friendly visitor. Coronamon stood protectively in front of Scott, growling at the new creature, while the teenager attempted to figure out what the heck was going on.

"What is that thing?!" he questioned in a panic, not having expected being randomly attacked. A beeping sound from his Digivice caught his attention, which he unclipped from his belt to examine. The screen was lighting up, one of the icons blinking as if trying to notify its owner of some new information. Taking a chance, Scott tapped the icon with his finger, which brought up a new screen showing a picture of the creature in front of him, along with detailed information about it. He blinked in surprise.

The creature bore resemblance to a dead tree, with its entire body made of light brown bark. Two long, think appendages resembling tree trunks were most prominent, with a smaller pair of arms underneath them bearing sharp claws. It had two pairs of legs which vaguely reminded Scott of a spider and the creature's blue eyes were narrowed in an angry scowl. "Woodmon, a Champion level Digimon of the wood element…go figure. It's a Virus attribute? Don't know what that means but it doesn't seem like good news. These foul-tempered Digimon pretend to be trees to drain the energy from unwary passer-bys and their primary attack is Branch Drill." Scott frowned at the new knowledge, glancing back up at the Woodmon that had tried to crush him into the ground. "Okay, so it's a tree with an attitude problem…" This world was getting weirder by the second.

"How dare you cut down all those plants!" the Woodmon cried in rage. "Do you not have any reverence for the forest?! Those who harm the jungle are to be punished!" Scott couldn't help but sweat-drop at that, feeling embarrassed for the creature. It made sense considering that Woodmon was a sentient plant thing but it was making such a big deal out of nothing…

"Erm, those vines will just grow back…we didn't do anything permanent to the jungle and I don't think too many people are going to care…Don't you think you're overreacting a little?" Scott tried to reason with the irate creature. This proved to be a bad move as his argument only seemed to incense Woodmon even further.

"You disrespectful little ingrate! Face your punishment! Branch Drill!" With that, Woodmon lunged one of his long arms towards the duo, aiming to crush them. The little fire lion was quick to shove his partner out of the way, then jumped away at the last second, letting the attack sail past him harmlessly.

"C'mon Coronamon, let's get out of here!" Scott called to his partner. The young Digimon looked ready to protest, but only nodded before he followed his partner down the path. Woodmon wasn't about ready to let them leave so easily, however, and quickly gave chase. "Aw crap, he's following us!" the teen cursed. "He's really persistent!"

"I can totally take him, Scott! He'll be firewood before you know it!" Coronamon boasted, obviously eager to prove his strength to his partner. Something the little lion had said earlier came back to his partner's mind. _"I'm Coronamon! I'm a Rookie level Digimon of the fire element!" _If his partner was a fire Digimon, then maybe they really could beat Woodmon despite the tree monster's obvious strength. Wood was quite combustible after all and fire would probably deal with a Digimon like Woodmon easily.

Stopping and turning around, Scott nodded to his partner. "Alright, let's see what you can do! But try not to burn down the jungle! We don't want to get in even more trouble!" he ordered. The young lion eagerly pumped his fist in excitement, thrilled to get a chance to prove his worth. This was what he had been waiting for his whole life! Fighting side by side with his partner was just a dream come true for him and he wasn't about to let Scott down!

"Leave it to me!" he stated proudly. Their exchange gave Woodmon enough time to catch up to the duo, scowling at them as he came towards them.

"So you decided to just take your punishment after all, eh? Fine with me! Branch Drill!" the tree monster called again, punching forward with his trunk-like arm. Coronamon nimbly jumped over the attack, letting the branch slam into the ground below. The little lion gave a grin as his fists ignited with bright orange flames.

"Corona Knuckle!" he called. As he descended from his jump, he pounded his flaming fist into Woodmon's branch arm, causing the monster to roar in pain as part of his arm caught fire. The presence of the flames caused Woodmon to panic, frantically waving his arm around to try and put out the fire. He resorted to slamming his arm against the ground several times, using the dirt to put it out. Once the flames were extinguished, leaving quite a nasty looking burn mark on his body, Woodmon was beyond furious.

"Damn it, you're a fire Digimon!" he seethed, causing Coronamon to simply give a confident grin. "But even if you have the elemental advantage, you're still just a Rookie." This comment made Coronamon comically falter, though Woodmon gave a sinister grin of his own. "And a Rookie would be beyond outmatched against a group of Champions! C'mon out boys!"

"Say what?!" the young lion was taken off guard when suddenly several more Woodmon appeared from the jungle surrounding them. He grit his teeth when he realized that it wasn't just one Woodmon, but a whole group of them. The others had simply been hiding waiting for the perfect chance to strike them down and steal their energy. Scott came to recognize this quickly himself, evident from the deep scowl on his face. The teenager quickly did a headcount, trying to see how many enemies they were dealing with now.

"Five of them now…" he muttered once he was done. One Woodmon they could have handled, but five of them? Coronamon wasn't that strong yet, was he? He didn't feel like it was something they should gamble with. "Coronamon! We should get out of here!" he called to his partner. Before they could effectively make their retreat, though, several branches flew towards Coronamon, the Woodmon wasting no time in attacking. The nimble creature managed to dodge two of them, but the third smacked into him, knocking him into the air before a fourth viciously bashed him into the ground. Shouts of pain accompanied each hit, making Scott wince as he was forced to watch. "Coronamon!" he shouted, worried for his little buddy. The orange furred Digimon managed to pick himself up despite the aches in his body, focusing on his opponents as they went to crowd around him. The five Woodmon quickly launched their Branch Drills at the Rookie, aiming to take him out quickly without much resistance. However, the little lion simply grinned.

"Petit Prominence!" he called. Flames erupted all around his body, forming a protective field that forced the branches to catch fire as they drew too close to the barrier. Surprised by the technique, the Woodmon were taken off guard as they once again attempted to put out the flames. Their opponent, however, wasn't ready to just let them this time. Propelled by the power of the flames surrounding him, Coronamon sprinted forward and rammed into one of the Woodmon with a flaming tackle. The plant Digimon's entire body caught fire as it was knocked to the ground, letting out screams of panic as it hopelessly flailed about. Its body blackened to a crisp before it suddenly exploded in a flurry of infinitesimal bits that were scattered to the wind.

The four remaining Woodmon stared at the spot their comrade had occupied moments ago in shock and horror. They had expected a lot of things but losing one of their own wasn't one of them. Scott watched in amazement as his partner focused the fiery aura around himself to a single point, forming a decent-sized fireball in front of his forehead. "Corona Flame!" he called out, directing the attack forward. It collided with one of the dumbstruck Woodmon, causing him to quickly follow the path of his fallen comrade. Letting out a cheer upon seeing another enemy be defeated, Scott felt his confidence about victory go up quite a bit. If Coronamon could keep that up, then they really could win this!

However, thoughts of impending victory quickly vanished from his mind when he noticed that his partner was now panting from the effort of his last attack, slightly slouched over from exertion. Unfortunately, their enemy noticed this as well and decided to punish it with extreme prejudice. Scott couldn't even issue a warning to his partner before two Branch Drills slammed into the young Digimon, knocking him a bit further down the path and into the side of a tree. Coronamon groaned in pain as his body slumped to the base of the tree, struggling to remain conscious. Scott was immediately by his partner's side, trying to keep him awake.

"Coronamon, are you alright?! C'mon, speak to me!" he demanded, concern clear in his voice. The reply he got was a groan of discomfort, but at least it was something. "Alright, we need to get out of here…You did great, but we don't stand a chance right now." Coronamon had an advantage being a fire Digimon, but the Woodmon were just stronger and had numbers on their side. The young lion couldn't beat them all no matter how much he wanted to. As the Rookie managed to get himself into an upright position, Scott was suddenly shoved up against the tree, pinned by the leader Woodmon's branches. He let out a shriek of panic as he began to struggle against the wood, but he simply wasn't strong enough to break free. The Woodmon laughed at the boy's fruitless resistance.

"N-No, Scott…" Coronamon groaned weakly, trying to force his body to move. His head still hurt and his entire body was sore, but he had to protect his partner at all costs, no matter what!

"You two were much more troublesome than I thought you'd be, but it ends here!" Woodmon boasted, preparing his other branch arm. "This is to avenge my comrades! Branch Dril-"

"Diamond Storm!" a feminine voice cut off the virus Digimon. From seemingly nowhere, a rain of glowing diamond-shaped shards flew forward and got embedded in the arm holding Scott against the tree. Woodmon roared in pain, withdrawing his limb and releasing the poor boy in the process, who took the chance to breathe. Coronamon also managed to stand up and he took a deep breath before he bolted forward, his fists once more gaining flames around them.

"Corona Knuckle!" he called, swinging his punch towards the leader Woodmon. This time, however, one of the other Woodmon intervened, sending a Branch Drill towards Coronamon instead. The little lion ducked under the branch and slammed his fist into it just as another rain of sharp shards flew down, ultimately resulting in the branch cracking in half and breaking off. The Woodmon cried out in agony as the severed half of its branch broke apart into data bits, though it didn't get long to mourn before the mysterious helper made her appearance, slamming a powerful kick to the virus's forehead. A small crack appeared from the impact, making the Woodmon wince as its attack landed gracefully on her feet, finally allowing Scott to get a good look at her. Remembering the scanning function from his Digivice, he was quick to pull it out and used it to get a better picture of this beautifully deadly warrior.

She was a tall Digimon with a feminine, humanoid figure. Most of her body was covered in yellow and white fur, save for the two purple gloves she wore that covered most of her forearms. The yin-yang symbol was present, both on her gloves and on her kneecaps strangely enough, but her most striking feature was perhaps the pair of narrow icy blue eyes that seemed to be able to stare directly into one's soul. She had a long, fox-like tail and pointed ears, all tipped with white fur like the tuff on her chest. Even her shoulders had tuffs of yellow fur jetting outwards. Finally reading her description, Scott learned this creature's name. "Renamon, a Rookie-level Digimon of the light element. She's a cunning, intelligent ninja-like data Digimon who bewilders her enemies with speed and deception. Her special attacks are Diamond Storm, Power Paw and Kohenkyo…whatever that last one means."

"It basically means that Renamon had a bag of tricks up her sleeves." Another voice interrupted his train of thoughts, causing Scott to look up. To his surprise, the person standing next to him was actually a human being, a girl who looked about his age. Her long black hair was allowed to flow freely and her dark brown eyes were regarding Scott with a mixture of curiosity and slight humor. Her outfit was a simple, modest one; a pair of light blue sneakers with a light blue blouse and a pair of black sweatpants. On top of her head, however, she wore a white headband that arched around her cranium. She offered a hand to him, giving him a smile. "My name's Megan Dunamis. That Renamon is my partner. It's nice to meet you." she stated. Dumbfounded for half a moment, Scott took her hand and shook it, obviously her intention from the beginning.

"Scott Maverick. My partner's Coronamon." he replied simply. "Thanks for the help…We really were in a bind. Though how did you know we needed help, anyway?" he couldn't help but asked. Maybe he shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth but all the same…His question brought a giggle from Megan, who seemed more amused than anything.

"We were honestly just passing through when we caught wind of this little scuffle. But we can talk more about that after we send the rest of those Woodmon to the recycling bin." she remarked, turning her attention back to the battle at hand. Scott did as well, just in time to watch as Renamon and the Woodmon whose arm had been amputated duel it out.

"Branch Drill!" the Woodmon called, sending his remaining arm towards the fox in an attempt to impale her. She skillfully jumped over it, however, and landed gracefully on top of the limb itself, running up along it to close the distance between herself and her stunned opponent. Renamon allowed a small smirk as she leaped into the air. With a swing of her arms, she summoned another wave of sharp light blades before she sent them flying forward.

"Diamond Storm!" she called. With no way to defend against the attack, the diamonds pierced through the Woodmon's body, making it moan loudly in pain before it burst into bits like the other defeated Digimon. The ninja fox simply landed on her feet and turned her attention to the next target, watching for a moment as Coronamon ducked under another branch sent his way. The little lion jumped up and quickly punched a burning fist into the cracked forehead of the fourth Woodmon, creating a large hole. The flames quickly spread over the Woodmon from the inside out and it wasn't long before the leader was the only one remaining. The leader looked positively horrified at this turn of events, though his glare at the two Rookies showed his unwillingness to stand down despite the odds.

"Y-You…you all are going to pay dearly for this!" he announced in an attempt to intimidate them. The four were clearly unimpressed with his boasting, though.

"You talk too much." Renamon stated simply. With that, she summoned up another rain of diamond shards as Coronamon surrounded himself with a fiery aura like he had previously. Woodmon panicked when he saw both attacks being started at once and he quickly tried to drill into both of them with his branches, but he acted just a moment too late.

"Petit Prominence!"

"Diamond Storm!"

Coronamon jetted forward alongside the diamond shards, combining the two attacks into one. As the shards pelted Woodmon's body, the fire lion slammed into him with a powerful fiery tackle. The attack pressure was so strong, Coronamon ended up breaking straight though Woodmon's armor-like bark, emerging out the other side. There was a gargled sound of pain before the destroyed body disintegrated into data bits, leaving the battle finished. Scott let out a sigh of relief as Megan smiled proudly.

"That was amazing, you two. Excellent teamwork!" Megan praised the two Rookies, making Coronamon grin bashfully while Renamon accepted it with a simple nod of her head. Scott couldn't help but smile a bit himself.

"Yeah, you two really pack a punch…especially you, Coronamon! Those moves were incredible! I didn't know you were that strong!" he remarked, feeling pride well up in his chest for his partner. The young lion's expression brightened up quite a great deal before he cheered happily and jumped into Scott's arms for a hug.

"I'm so happy!" he remarked, nuzzling into Scott's chest affectionately. Finally, his lifelong dream was coming true…He was finally with his partner and they fought together…and they won! It was with a little help, but they won! Happy tears picked at his eyes, but he hid them by hiding his face in Scott's shirt. "It's really a dream come true…" Scott was surprised by his Digimon's emotional reaction, but his expression softened before he gently ruffled the lion's fur affectionately.

"So those Woodmon…are they, like, dead now?" Scott questioned, looking to the others for some sort of explanation. He felt bad if that was the case, but considering they had tried to kill not only him but his partner as well, the sympathy was limited. It was Renamon who surprised him by answering his inquiry.

"In a way. This incarnation of them is dead, but they will reincarnate into different Digimon after some time has passed. We Digimon are constructed of data and, as such, our bodies will recycle themselves upon death. Most of the time Digimon do not remember anything of their past lives, so each reincarnation is like beginning anew." she explained.

"So Digimon go through cycles of reincarnation, kind of like a phoenix does…" Scott mused.

"Yep, pretty much." Megan agreed with a nod. She turned to face him, giving a gentle smile. "Though now that the Woodmon are handled, we should get a move on. We don't want to run into any other unsavory types out here." The boy frowned a little at her, quirking an eyebrow.

"You're tagging along?" he asked her, his tone neutral.

"Well you're the only other human I've met since I got here and I doubt traveling alone would be safer." she replied simply. "Besides, from the looks of it, you're heading towards the Armadi Grasslands. Renamon and I were heading that way as well, so it only makes sense for us to travel together." Scott couldn't honestly argue with any of those points, so he relented with a small sigh. Though he wouldn't want to admit it out loud, he was extremely grateful that they found another human person in this place.

"Alright, alright…we should go together then." he relented. "Hopefully we'll find a way to get back to Earth." With that, he, Megan and their partners headed off down the path towards the grasslands, eager to leave the jungle behind. They couldn't have known then, but the adventures that they would take part in would serve to shape, not only their own futures, but the futures of both the real and digital worlds….

**Hello and welcome to an all-new story featuring an entirely original plot, characters and a whole new Digital World! Part of me is hoping that this story will help stimulate my motivation for writing which, honestly, has begun to damper a bit lately. I have a good feeling about this story, though, and I hope you do as well! There will be a lot of mysteries to solve and a lot of obstacles to overcome, so I sincerely hope you enjoy the ride! Will Scott and company find a way back to Earth? What dangers await them in the Armadi Grasslands? And how did the humans even get into the Digital World to begin with? The answers to all these questions and more will come with the next chapters of Digimon Revolution!**


	2. The Flames of Firamon

**Digimon Revolution: Chapter 2**

**The Flames of Firamon  
**

The sun was beginning to wane in the skies overhead as the young party waded their way through the tall grass of the prairies. Megan had to wonder if it was really better or worse than the jungle in terms of mobility. _"At least we can see where we're going." _she remarked in her mind. It was also safer, considering they'd be able to see most enemies if they were close by. She hoped that they found that village soon, though; Scott and Coronamon had to be rather tired from the battle against the Woodmon earlier. She spared a quick glance at them to see how they were holding up with all of the physical stress.

Scott was handling it a bit better then she had anticipated, though it was obvious that he was exhausted. The lack of proper shading in addition to physical exertion was making him sweat and he was a bit red in face – justified in that they had been walking for at least two hours straight now. Coronamon seemed to be faring better than his partner, not nearly as bothered by the heat. Fatigue was clear in the little mon's eyes, however. Megan herself was feeling a bit fatigued as well, so she decided to voice her thoughts.

"Maybe we should take a little break for now." she suggested. "I'm sure everyone could use a bit of rest for now. We can afford to take our time." Scott didn't bother to protest as he immediately stopped and dropped down, sitting right there where he stood. He was panting a bit, looking like he had run a marathon. His partner was quick to cuddle up against him, looking ready to curl up on Scott's lap for a nap himself.

"Sorry…" the human teen muttered. "I'm just not used to so much physical activity…" He was dreadfully out of shape if he was this exhausted already, but it had been a long day and he was still aching from the fight before. Not to mention his head still hurt from when he had been pinned against that tree. He wondered if he had a small concussion, but he didn't voice this concern; he didn't want to be more of a burden than he already was.

"Don't worry about it; we're only human. We can't go on for ages like the Digimon can." Megan replied simply, sitting down near him. Her aching feet were grateful for the break from their travels, though her partner remained standing and alert, no doubt in preparation for potential threats. The boy nodded mutely in agreement with her assessment before an awkward silence fell between the two. The older girl didn't take long to figure out that Scott wasn't a very social person, so chances were that he really didn't know how to handle a one-on-one conversation very well. If they were going to be traveling together, though, they may as well learn to be comfortable around each other. "So, Scott…since we'll be in each other's company for some time, perhaps we should get to know each other a bit?" she suggested. Scott frowned lightly at her proposition yet because he couldn't find any good reason to refuse, he decided to acquiesce.

"That's fair, I suppose." he agreed. "Though why don't you start? The only thing I really know about you is your name." Megan adopted a thoughtful expression, mulling to herself what details would be worth sharing with a stranger. Definitely not anything too personal, of course, but at least the basics would be polite enough. Deciding on that, she spoke up again.

"Well, like I said before, my name is Megan Dunamis. I'm fifteen years old and the oldest child in my family, including my cousins. I enjoy roller-skating, creative writing and spending time with my family…though I also like to play computer games as well." she revealed. "It's actually because of that last fact I ended up here in the Digital World." Scott couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow at this new information.

"Really? The same thing happened to me when I tried to start up a game on my laptop…" he admitted. He wondered if perhaps that was the entryway into the Digital World…but then, how come this place wasn't crawling with people? No doubt a lot of people played computer games on a near constant basis. Thousands of other people would have gotten that same message and been teleported to the Digital World if they had answered "yes" like he did. But it didn't seem like there were many humans here, so he had to wonder just what was going on.

"That mysterious message really should have been more specific about what it meant by _starting a new game_. It's such an innocent question and yet it ended up bringing us both here…" the girl admitted with a small sigh. Her family had to be freaking out around now, wondering where she had disappeared to. It broke her heart to think that she had no way of communicating with them to let them know that she was alright and she wasn't hurt…She had to get her mind off of that train of thought, so she looked to her companion. "What about you? What are your hobbies?" she asked.

"Me? Well…I spend a lot of time on my computer. I'm a big gamer and all…though my other main interest is music. If I knew how to play or sing, I'd probably be a musician of some kind, but I really don't have any musical aptitude whatsoever." he admitted. Music had always been a core part of his life; he could name most of history's famous singers and song-writers by ear alone and he knew the lyrics to at least a thousand songs. However, having no real ability to actually make his own music, he often just contented himself with listening to the masters.

Coronamon seemed quite curious about their conversation, having been silent for the time being as he tried to figure out all the things they were talking about. However, now his curiosity was piqued and he wanted to know more, especially about his partner. He may not seem like it, but he was a really young Digimon; there were a lot of things he didn't know about. "Hey, what does "aptitude" mean?" he asked innocently.

"It means natural talent." Megan answered for the young Digimon, causing the lion's blue eyes to turn to her. She smiled sweetly. "So when Scott says he lacks aptitude, it means that he isn't really good at playing music right now. If he practices a whole lot, though, he'll get better." Her smile widened ever so slightly when she saw the bashful blush on Scott's face.

"I really don't think I'll ever get that good or anything." he replied dismissively. He couldn't fathom himself being a big name in…well, anything really. He thought he was destined for a pretty ordinary existence…Well he had before all of this Digital World business happened. Once he got home, though, he was sure things would go back to being boring and normal. It's not like anyone would ever believe him about something like this anyway.

Suddenly, Renamon tensed slightly, her gaze narrowing. Megan frowned when she noticed the fox's action, carefully turning to face her partner. "Is something wrong, Renamon?" she asked her.

"We're not alone anymore." Renamon spoke simply. This statement caused Coronamon to jump out of Scott's lap and quickly stand besides the fox ninja, ready for a potential fight. Scott and Megan stood up as well, a bit slowly for the sake of their aching legs, but they were prepared to force themselves to run if they had to. A tense moment of absolute silence followed, no one knowing exactly what to expect. Without warning, the ground in front of them suddenly popped open, making Megan shriek in surprise while Scott jumped out of his skin. Renamon and Coronamon immediately began to prepare their attacks, but a young voice stopped them.

"AH! Wait, don't hurt me!" the voice worriedly protested. Taken off guard, the two Rookies looked towards the ground to see a head poking up from the dirt. It was some kind of mammal-like creature, staring up at them with wide green eyes. Megan recovered her composure when she realized that they weren't in any danger and she couldn't help but dote over the strange creature.

"Aw, look how cute it is!" she remarked. Scott withdrew his Digivice and activated the scanner in order to get a better idea of just what this creature was. An image of it appeared on his screen, showing that it greatly resembled an armadillo from Earth. It had yellow skin, though most of its body was covered in a light brown shell. The quadruped had a purple underbelly, along with large, ear-like appendages on either side of its head and a short tail. There were also red markings on its forehead, vaguely resembling tribal markings.

"Armadillomon, a Rookie level Digimon of the earth element; so this is what one looks like, huh? Says here they tend to be docile unless threatened and their shell is nearly impregnable. Its attacks are Diamond Shell and Claw Chopping. They also like to dig tunnels apparently." Scott glanced up from his handheld curiously, wondering just what this Armadillomon was doing all the way out here.

"Hey, don't worry, we won't hurt you…You just startled us, that's all." Megan said, deciding to be the liaison for their group. The Armadillomon seemed a bit more at ease now, drawing itself completely out of the hole it had emerged from. It was looking up at her with something akin to awe in its eyes, though.

"You...you're a human, aren't you? Like those other ones?" it questioned. The group of four were shocked by the inquiry, even the usually stoic Renamon.

"Wait, other ones? There were other humans here?" Scott asked, the surprise clear in his voice. The mammal Digimon nodded in reply.

"Uh-huh…there was a group of them earlier today, but they left already. But then another one showed up with a Liollmon; they're staying with us right now." he answered. "My big brother is watching over them." The group shared glances with each other, silently asking what they should do. It was an easy decision; they wanted to go to the village to begin with and if another human was there, then all the better.

"Would you mind leading us to your village then?" Megan asked politely. "We're a bit weary from our travels and we don't know this area too well. We don't want to run into anything dangerous while we're out here." The Armadillomon blinked in surprise, not having expected this sort of request. It didn't see the harm in allowing it, though, so it eagerly nodded in reply.

"Well okay! Follow me. I'll take you to the entrance!"

"Thank you very much!" the girl expressed her gratitude with a smile as the Armadillomon turned and began to walk in a different direction, the small group following him. Scott leaned in to whisper to his human companion some of his concerns so the Digimon ahead of them didn't hear it.

"Are you sure we can trust him?" he asked her quietly. She frowned lightly at the inquiry, but nodded as well.

"If he truly meant us harm he would have attacked us already." she pointed out. "He doesn't have a reason to be hostile against us."

"He doesn't have a reason to be so nice either."

"He might think that the human who's at the village is a friend of ours, so yes, he does. Even then, it seems there was yet another group of humans here before us, so maybe they left a good impression." The boy sighed a bit. He wanted to try and err on the side of caution, but he supposed she did have some good points. He shouldn't question someone's motives for being so kind, especially since he had no reason to be suspicious either. He just wanted to avoid getting into another fight like the one against the Woodmon.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it, but if something bad happens, it's on you." he said, allowing a slight tease into his voice. Megan only giggled in reply, obviously not taking his "threat" to heart.

"Whatever you say, Scott…"

(Current Day: Digital World: Armadi Village)

There were plenty of things that Scott was expecting when they came to the village. Digimon roaming around, houses that looked like straw huts, maybe some grass growing everywhere…He wasn't exactly expecting the village to actually be underground. In retrospect, perhaps he should have; the Armadillomon were capable diggers and it did offer safety from outside threats. Their young guide had taken them to a large opening hidden in the ground that led to his village. The cavernous path leading down into the earth was lined with torches in order to let anyone who walked down it see where they were going. Getting into the village itself wasn't very problematic, just a long downward walk.

Arriving in the village, Scott couldn't help but be impressed with how things were set up. Once more his expectations were defied as he came to realize the dwellings weren't huts made of straw and grass, but much sturdier mud houses – called adobes if his memory served him correctly – that were reinforced with the natural rock around them. It would be hard for those homes to go down. His only major complaints were the lack of sunlight, fresh air and the dusty smell, but none of that could really be helped. At the very least, the torches lit up all over the place helped to increase visibility.

"Welcome to Armadi Village!" the young Armadillomon guide said cheerfully. "I can take you to your friend in a little bit, but first we have to go see the elder to let him know you're here." At that, Scott and Megan looked a tiny bit confused.

"Elder? I assume that he's the leader of the village?" Megan asked curiously. Her partner nodded in confirmation.

"Yes, that is correct. It is customary here in the Digital World for the oldest, wisest or strongest Digimon to be the leader of their tribe." Renamon stated. Sometimes it was a combination of the three and sometimes it was only one trait over the others, but that was how things were done here. The answer satisfied the human girl, who simply nodded in acceptance.

"Why do we need to see him, though?" Scott piped up, deciding to let his thoughts be known.

"The elder likes to meet visitors, but there's also the fact that he has to know if there's a potential threat to the village. You seem like nice guys, but you can't be too careful, ya know?" the little mammal replied. Scott had to admit, it sounded like something he himself would do as a leader. A good leader had to put the safety of his followers above his own, after all.

"Alright then, fair enough."

The rest of the walk was uneventful, though the group did see many other Armadillomon wandering about, going about their days as usual. It was an interesting sight to behold, mostly because they were so unaccustomed to seeing such a thing. _"At least this proves that Digimon can behave in a civilized manner and not like complete brutes like those Woodmon did." _Scott thought to himself. This world would get really annoying really quickly if everything and everyone in it constantly tried to kill them. He did notice, however, that some areas of the village seemed like they had been damaged. As they drew closer to the elder's home, he could see that some of the homes had collapsed and were currently in the process of being rebuilt. There was also a large crack in one of the walls, as if something had been slammed into it. His curiosity couldn't help but be piqued.

"Hey-"

"Here we are!" the Armadillomon unintentionally cut off the boy's question, bringing attention to the large hut in front of them. It didn't take a genius to figure out that this was the elder's dwelling. It wasn't very extravagant, but it was much larger than the other homes. It had a circular design with a tall roof, reminding Scott vaguely of a beach house. Unlike the other homes, this one was made of wood, possibly for the accommodation of visitors.

"It seems like a cozy place." Megan commented. She wondered what kind of person the elder was if he liked to meet visitors. Was he a polite and kind old man or a cynical overprotective one who preferred to keep an eye on foreigners? She supposed that they would soon find out as their guide led them up the steps leading to the front door.

"Elder! We have visitors!" the young Armadillomon called as a means of greeting. There was a slight pause before a reply came back to them.

"Well come on in then!" an older voice called back. "We don't mind more guests!"

"We?" Coronamon asked, wondering just who else was in there with him. Before the little mon could ponder any further, the doors were opening, letting the group inside the elder's home. Entering, they came into a large room – most likely the den – where three people were sitting and waiting. Two of them were Digimon, as expected, but to the surprise of the group the third was a human child no older than Scott was. "Oh wow, there really is another human here!" Coronamon remarked, causing the human boy before them to blush a bit timidly.

"Um, hello…I'm Brent Nunan. It's nice to meet you…" he greeted them softly. His skin was a darker hue than Scott's or Megan's, comparable to the color of chocolate. His charcoal black hair was short, yet slightly scruffy as well, though it matched his dark green eyes rather well. His outfit consisted of a dark yellow short-sleeved shirt, with longer white sleeves reaching to his wrists, along with a pair of dark blue loose-fitting jeans and a pair of green and white sneakers. The dark-skinned boy looked down towards the Digimon sitting next to him. "And this is my partner, Liollmon." he introduced. The Digimon raised a paw in greeting with a friendly grin.

"Nice to meet you!" he stated. Scott immediately withdrew his Digivice and used the scanner to get some more info on this new creature. It was a quadruped lion-like creature, yellow fur covering its entire body. Its limbs were muscular and strong, with three sharp claws at the end of each paw. It also had a long yellow tail in a lightning-bolt shaped pattern. It had large blue eyes along with a feline snout, looking more like a lion than Coronamon did. It could have passed for a normal lion if it weren't for the tuff of red hair on top of its head and the golden bracelet around its neck. The bracelet was complete with a green pendent attached to it.

"Liollmon, a Rookie level vaccine Digimon of the thunder element. He's a rare Digimon apparently, with holy powers meant to smite evildoers. His main attacks are Lio Claw and Critical Bite." he read aloud. Liollmon seemed proud at the information and nodded in confirmation.

"Every bit is correct! I'm Brent's partner so it's my duty to protect him." he stated simply, getting a smile out of Brent. Megan could tell that the boy had to be quite scared being in this new, unfamiliar world. A timid person would be rightfully frightened by this sort of development, but it seemed he was in good hands…er, paws.

"It's nice to meet you both. My name's Megan Dunamis and this is my partner, Renamon." she introduced. Renamon simply nodded her head politely towards the two, showing she shared the sentiment. She was a mon of few words, letting her actions speak for her rather than anything else.

"And I'm Scott Maverick, and this is Coronamon." Scott spoke up, deciding to be friendly as well.

"Heya! Nice to meet ya!" Coronamon cheerfully announced. Brent couldn't help but smile a bit at the Digimon's friendly nature. It was refreshing, really, especially after spending the last several hours scared out of his mind in this strange world. Liollmon had helped to alleviate that fear a bit, but Brent still honestly would rather be home. He was just grateful that now there were other humans here; it felt less lonesome that way.

"Ah, it's so nice to see young friends meeting for the first time." the elder remarked, sitting across the table from Brent and Liollmon. He was an Armadillomon as well, but he appeared much older than the others, with wrinkles on his face and his shell looking faded when compared to the glossy sheen of other, younger Digimon. The older Digimon's eyes, however, seemed to contain a great bit of wisdom. He gave a wide smile to the humans and their partners. "Welcome to Armadi Village. Goodness, this is really the first time we've seen so many humans in the span of a few hours! Why just earlier today there was another group of three that passed through here before, but they've left already. Those three are certainly heroes!" The elder's statements immediately caught the interest of Scott and Megan, who gave all of their attention to the elder.

"We heard mention of other humans before, but now you're calling them heroes? What did they do?" Megan asked curiously. For strangers to gain such good-standings with this place after only being here a few hours at most, it must have been quite the impressive feet. Brent gave a sheepish smile to his two new acquaintances.

"He was actually going to tell me that story just before you got here." he admitted. "I arrived after that other group had left and I was interested in hearing what they did. Apparently they all have partners like we do…and Digivices like these, too." With that said, Brent unclipped the device from his belt and showed it to the other two. It looked exactly like their model, save that the back was gold with a red stripe instead. Scott couldn't stop the small frown from appearing on his face as he tried to piece together what was happening.

"These things are pretty useful, but where did they come from and why do we have them? If they weren't important, they wouldn't have been given to us…and that raises the question of who gave them to us to begin with." he spoke aloud.

"Let us listen to the elder's story about the other humans." Renamon interceded, desiring to remain on the current topic of conversation. "We can ponder your purpose here after we learn more of what happened here. You saw the damage in the village did you not?" Yes, he had. Perhaps that was related to what the other group of humans had done? The Armadillomon elder nodded, understanding Renamon's assessment of the situation.

"Yes, it's as you think; the damage was caused by the situation earlier and we've only just begin rebuilding the areas that were caught up in the fight. You see, our village is usually a peaceful place, out of the way of most travelers. However, a savage Digimon called Sethmon went on a rampage here, claiming to be looking for some artifact we've never heard of. We thought for sure our village would be destroyed, and us along with it, but those three humans before you managed to defeat him and saved us all. They left awhile ago, but if you intend to catch up with them, we directed them towards the mountains just beyond the plains." the elder explained.

"So that's why you call the other humans heroes – they stopped Sethmon from destroying your village." Megan mused. It was certainly a noble thing to do, but now she had to wonder; just what was Sethmon after that he was willing to raze this village to this ground to get it? Maybe whatever the item's powers were, it could help send them back home. That was an appealing thought…

"They had to be tough if they beat Sethmon – he's not exactly a pushover!" Liollmon chimed in. "I've heard about him before; they're ruthless hunters with strong armor that can withstand a lot of hits. I wonder just how they beat him…" Maybe if they caught up to the other kids, they'd be able to learn a few fighting secrets. Liollmon was tempted to try and track them down immediately with that thought, but he had to wait for his partner. The lion Digimon did squirm a bit in anticipation, though.

"Did Sethmon ever…you know, say what he was looking for?" Brent asked the elder tentatively. The old Armadillomon adopted a thoughtful expression as he thought back to earlier that day.

"He did mention it when he tried to question me about it. Something called a Prism Shard, but I've never heard of anything like that before. When I told him that, I thought he was going to delete me and load my data!" the elder admitted with a nervous laugh. His comments confused the three humans present, however.

"Load your…data? Like a computer?" Scott asked, frowning slightly. He was still trying to wrap his head around the idea that Digimon – and by extent the Digital World – were made up of bits of data instead of atoms and molecules. It was incredibly strange, but he supposed one universe didn't have to obey the same laws of physics as his own.

"Oh, I'll explain this one!" Coronamon volunteered before either of the other two partners could. "Well you remember when we fought the Woodmon and they turned into data after we beat them? If that data is left alone, it'll reform into a Digi-Egg and that Digimon will be reborn into a whole new one! But…Digimon can also absorb that data from Digimon they defeat. Doing that is called "loading" and if we do that, then we get stronger as a result. But it also permanently kills the Digimon that gets absorbed, since then their data can't turn back into a Digi-Egg." he explained. He may not know a lot about humans or their strange ways, but he definitely knew enough about Digimon! He gave a grin up to Scott, but it quickly faded when he realized that the three humans were wearing expressions of shock.

"That's so brutal…" Megan commented softly. Loading a Digimon's data, then, was along the same vain as murder in their world. At least from a human's mortal standpoint; Digimon apparently didn't have any qualms about this concept.

"It is, but loading is seen as something natural." Renamon explained. "Some Digimon may even request that their data be loaded if they decide they want that. Sometimes Digimon get tired of living over and over again…" It was a sobering, sad thought, but it was the truth. Sometimes Digimon just wanted their souls to rest in peace and not be subjected to the cycle of reincarnation. No being could live forever, even in the Digital World.

"I hope we never have to do that…" Brent admitted quietly, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible. Liollmon, sensing that his partner was upset, gently nudged his head against the boy's leg, much like a cat would do. The boy absent-mindedly began to stroke the lion's head, grateful for the contact but still thoughtful about this new information. Before anyone could ponder more about this development, though, a sudden shaking caught everyone off guard. Brent nearly fell out of his chair from the surprise of it, but Megan, Scott and the Digimon managed to stay standing, albeit very confused and concerned.

"What the heck is that?! An earthquake?!" Scott remarked, obviously startled.

"We don't get those in this part of the Digital World!" the elder replied, alarmed. "This is like when Sethmon attacked before! But those children got rid of him!"

"Are you absolutely sure about that?!" Brent asked above the rumbling of the ground. Whatever this Sethmon thing was, it had to be huge if it was causing this much of a ruckus! He really didn't look forward to seeing what it was capable of.

"If that's true, then the other kids must not have landed a killing blow on him – they must have just driven him off!" Scott cursed. A sudden boom made them all flinch before they decided to investigate. Running out of the elder's home, the trio of humans and their partners saw a bestial Digimon causing havoc in the village. There was a hole in the side of the cavern, possibly where the creature had come from. It would certainly explain the rumbling. Scott was quick to take out his Digivice in order to scan this Digimon and get a feel for its power. It was a large quadruped creature with rough red skin decorated with yellow zebra-like stripes. Three large claws protruded from each of its four feet. A trail of light green mane-like fur traveled from the back of the creature's head down its spine and outwards like a tail. Its head was protected with a large silver armor helmet, with a large wing-shaped protrusion on either side of its head. A red heart-shaped insignia was on its forehead, along with two bolt-shaped marks next to it. Two intimidating light blue tusks, matching the color of its underbelly, stuck out like blades underneath its mouth. Its narrow red eyes were filled with indignant rage.

"That's Sethmon alright. He's a fire-elemental vaccine type. Armor level? I don't know what that means but I guess that's something like a Champion…Anyway, he's a very dangerous opponent with bestial instincts. His main attacks are Heat Storm and Tusk Buster. Yikes, I really don't like the looks of this thing…" Scott read aloud, scolding at this information.

"Heat Storm!" Sethmon called before he unleashed a wave of intense heat from his mouth, melting one of the nearby adobes. "Where are you children?! I will have my revenge!" he shouted in rage.

"He must be looking for the other group that beat him before…" Megan realized. They had already moved on however…and now the villagers were going to suffer for it. What was the last group thinking?

"C'mon you guys, we gotta stop him!" Liollmon remarked, looking to the other two Digimon for support. It didn't take much convincing before the trio of Rookies leaped into action. Sethmon was about to launch his attack at another house before Renamon quickly kicked him in the forehead. It didn't do much damage thanks to his armored face, but it did gain Sethmon's attention. Words weren't wasted before Coronamon leaped at the armor Digimon.

"Corona Knuckle!" he called, swinging a flaming fist at his opponent's face. The attack connected, but Sethmon didn't even flinch before he knocked Coronamon away with one of his claws. The armor Digimon smirked a bit at this.

"More of those human children and their partners?" he questioned. "Where are the other three? They can't hide from me forever!"

"They're not here any longer. They've moved on. Even if they hadn't, though, we wouldn't hand them over to the likes of you." Renamon replied simply. The fox ninja narrowed her icy eyes at him before she leaped into the air, arms crossed. "Diamond Storm!" she called, unfurling her arms. A rain of glowing shards appeared, sharp as blades, and she sent them flying downwards towards her opponent. Sethmon raised his head and used the helmet on his face as a shield, blocking the majority of the shards. A few of them, however, managed to hit his skin, making him hiss with pain. Sethmon narrowed his eyes at the fox before he decided to attack in earnest.

"Heat Storm!" he announced, opening his maw. A wave of heat flew forward towards Renamon, forcing the fox to quickly dodge lest she be burned. Liollmon quickly ran forward, jumping up onto Sethmon's back. "Hey, get off of me you little furball!" the armored beast remarked, trying to shake the lion cub off of him. The brave lion, however, didn't falter and quickly dug his claws into his opponent's skin, eliciting a cry of pain from his target.

"Liollmon, be careful!" Brent called out to his partner. He was worried that the lion would end up getting hurt if he didn't watch himself; Liollmon had proven himself to be rather reckless and the timid boy knew all too well that recklessness could result in something really bad happening. He watched as his partner quickly got off of Sethmon just as another Diamond Storm rained towards their target. Once more Sethmon roared in pain as the razor-sharp diamonds tore into him. The armored beast growled in anger as he rounded on his opponents.

"Tusk Buster!" he announced. His blade-like tusks began to glow as he charged forward, emitting a light blue force field of energy. The two Digimon were quick to jump out of the way, not wanting to get caught up in the path of the rampaging Digimon. Coronamon, having recovered from the earlier hit, ran at Sethmon from behind, swinging his flaming fists to try and deal damage. His punches left a bruise on his target's side, but nothing more as Sethmon turned once more and swiped his claw at the young lion. Coronamon managed to dodge this time, quickly regrouping with his allies.

"He's one tough customer…His armor blocks anything we throw at his face, but his skin is tough enough to take a lot of punishment." Liollmon remarked, a deep frown on his face. Between the creature's armor and his skin, it'd be difficult to wound him severely enough to actually defeat him.

"Why are you lot getting in my way?" Sethmon asked, narrowing his gaze at the trio. "You don't gain anything by defeating me, so what compels you to fight? Do you wish to be destroyed?"

"Why are _you _attacking these people!?" Coronamon demanded in return. "They've never done anything to you, you big bully! Of course we're gonna stop you and your senseless rampage!" A blazing aura surrounded the little lion before he bolted forward. "Petit Prominence!" he called, ramming himself into Sethmon's forehead. This attack actually caused the armored beast to grunt in pain, but to Coronamon's shock, he didn't seem all that hurt by it.

"You'll need to be much stronger than that, runt!" he remarked before he swatted the orange lion away. The solar Digimon landed with a thud on the ground a short distance away, groaning in pain.

"Coronamon!" Scott called out to his partner in worry, running over to his side. "Are you alright?" he asked. The young lion sat up with a groan, shaking his head a bit to get himself focused again.

"Y-Yeah, I'm alright…I'm sorry, Scott, I don't think I'm strong enough to beat him…" he apologized. The human frowned a bit in distaste. He didn't like that idea very much. Coronamon was able to take down those Woodmon so easily, so why was he having so much trouble hurting Sethmon? The other two seemed to be doing decently well, especially Renamon. He was a bit surprised by that, honestly; during the fight with the Woodmon, Renamon's attacks weren't strong enough to completely pierce their bark without Coronamon's help, but now it seemed that she was the only one able to deal any significant damage to their current opponent.

"It's alright, Coronamon…I don't blame you. I just don't understand why you're having such a hard time when Renamon and Liollmon aren't." he admitted.

"It's because of their types and elements." Brent spoke up, getting Scott's attention as well as Megan's. Realizing he had drawn their attention, he shyly looked away to avoid eye contact, but continued to speak. "The elder explained it to me…All Digimon have a type, a level and an element; it's part of their basic information and it affects how well they do in battle…." He turned his attention to the battle, watching as Renamon launched another Diamond Storm, which Sethmon dodged. "There are three different types; Data, Virus and Vaccine. Each one is weak to and strong against one of the others, so it's kinda like Rock-Paper-Scissors. Sethmon is a Vaccine type and they're weak to Data types like Renamon, which is why she's doing so well compared to the other two."

Scott nodded a bit as he digested that information, watching as Liollmon slashed at Sethmon's back legs, aiming to leave some form of damage. The red beast didn't seem too hurt by the attack, however, and kicked the lion away. Remembering that the data analyzer called both Coronamon and Liollmon Vaccine types, he realized that meant they were the same as Sethmon and had no advantage in that regard.

"So then the reason why Coronamon had such an easy time with the Woodmon we fought earlier much have been because he's a Vaccine and they were Virus; he had an advantage over them." Megan realized, putting the thoughts together just as Scott did. Brent nodded, though then he continued to explain.

"Not only that, but Woodmon are weak to fire elementals, which is what Coronamon is. So Coronamon had a double-advantage over them, even though he's a Rookie and Woodmon are Champions. Granted, I'm told Woodmon are weak Champions most of the time, but still…Coronamon isn't doing so well now because his element and type are the same as Sethmon's, and on top of that, Sethmon is a higher level. Armor levels are like Champions…" the shy boy stated. Scott gritted his teeth when he realized that his partner wasn't going to be much help during this fight.

"Damn it…" he muttered. He could only hope the other two could handle this well enough. Alas, those hopes were severely diminished by the turn the fight took.

Sethmon had gotten beyond frustrated by these persistent Rookies. They reminded him far too much of the last trio he fought and lost against. Though to be fair, he had only lost when that Salamon digivolved into a Gatomon and proceeded to trounce him. He had gotten buried in some rubble and used that as a cover for his retreat – apparently it tricked them into thinking that he had been deleted. It was just his luck that even a few hours later, there would _still _be human children here. This time, however, he intended to finish them now. "Tusk Buster!" he called, charging forward suddenly at his two opponents. Renamon and Liollmon didn't have the time to properly dodge, so the charging tank slammed into both of them with a powerful tackle. Both the fox ninja and wild lion were flung back by the attack's power, landing with two crashes into the ground.

"Renamon!"

"No, Liollmon!"

The human trio had no choice but to watch in horror as their partners struggled to lift themselves up. Sethmon chuckled ominously as he trotted towards them, eager to end this debacle once and for all. Scott growled in anger before he suddenly leaped into action. Picking up a decent sized rock, he chucked it at Sethmon's head, aiming for his eye. His trajectory left a lot to be desired, however, and the rock harmlessly bounced off of the armor plate with a slight dink. However, this was enough to draw the Digimon's attention to the young boy, who suddenly felt very afraid.

"I may not have found the Prism Shard like my lord wanted….but perhaps destroying some of the children sent by the angels will appease him!" Sethmon remarked to himself. Scott didn't have time to be curious about the Digimon's statement, as he opened his maw to prepare an attack. "Heat Storm!" As the blaze of heat shot out towards Scott, the others gawked in absolute terror.

"Scott, run! Get out of there!" Megan shrieked at him, her face pale.

"H-He'll kill you! R-Run!" Brent stammered, on the verge of hyperventilating, his voice panicked and cracked.

Scott, however, was frozen by fear to the spot, watching with wide eyes as the advent of his doom sped ever closer. He really didn't want to die, but as the deadly wave of heat drew ever near, he felt an eerie wave of calmness come over him. Perhaps it was a reaction to the notion that death was imminent and nothing was going to change that. He didn't scream or cry; he simply closed his eyes to accept the inevitable.

"SCOTT!"

His partner's anguished cry echoed through the cavern, causing Scott to at least look in his direction. Seeing the look of absolute brokenness on his partner's face filled his heart with a pain he was entirely unfamiliar with. Coronamon was running towards him, no doubt to try and save him, but unless he grew wings and flew there was no way he'd make it in time. Scott winced and turned his head, not willing to look death in the face.

He wouldn't have to, as his Digivice suddenly began to glow with a bright light. A keening sound echoed as Scott looked down, nearly blinded by the light that shone forth. The others watched in amazement as the light gathered around Coronamon, filling the young lion's body with power. Sethmon's eyes widened as well when he recognized what was happening.

"No…no, not again!" he cried, shocked by his absolutely horrible luck.

"Coronamon digivolve to…" The ball of light that was formerly Coronamon quickly sped forward, growing and changing. A large quadruped took Coronamon's place, still a dark orange color like his previous evolution. However, now his face resembled an actual lion's much better, helped by the new wild mane of golden yellow fur that covered most of his upper body. His tail grew longer, though still maintained a flame on the tip of it. Small torch-like flames flickered in the center of the red and white plates on the creature's new armor, including each black brace around each of its four ankles, the gladiator-esque armor covering his flank and the headdress-like armor around his head. The most prominent new feature, however, were the strong pair of angelic wings that sprung up from his shoulders. With a powerful roar, a deep voice announced the name of this new form. "Firamon!"

Firamon quickly flew forward, dispelling the heat blast before it could harm Scott. The teenage boy could only gawk in awe at his partner's newest form, barely finding the words to speak. "C…Corona….mon?" he stammered out in shock. The lion warrior glanced back at him and grinned proudly.

"Sort of; I'm Firamon now. This is my Champion form!" he answered.

"Firamon, a Champion level Vaccine-type Digimon of the fire element." Megan read from her Digivice, having taken it out to scan this majestic beast for information. "He's famed as a protector of the ancient Digital World and his wings grant him incredible speed and flight. His attacks include Flame Dive, Fira Claw and Fira Bomb." She looked up at the creature with wonder in her eyes. "Simply breathtaking…"

"So…that's what digivolution looks like…" Renamon muttered, observing this change of events with a mixture of appreciation, surprise and a tiny bit of envy.

"That is so cool…" Liollmon agreed. Sethmon, however, was less impressed and more enraged by the new arrival. A Gatomon had wounded him before, but a Firamon? This had potential not to end well, but he wasn't about to let that stop him.

"It's going to take more than just a new form to beat me! Heat Storm!" he called, sending out another blast of heat. Firamon, however, was not impressed with the attack. A fiery aura gathered at the center of his forehead.

"Fira Bomb!" he called, launching a sphere of flames to counter the heat blast. The two attacks collided with each other with a small explosion. Before the smoke even cleared, however, Firamon flew forward, gliding along the ground with his wings spread. "Fira Claw!" The lion's front claws lit themselves aflame before he slammed them into Sethmon's face. With a cry of pain, Sethmon was knocked back by the technique, small scorch marks left on his armored mask. Scott and the others couldn't help but grin at this development.

"Alright, go Firamon!" Scott cheered encouragingly, grinning proudly. That was _his _partner kicking Sethmon's tail like that. He didn't know how Coronamon changed so suddenly, but he certainly wasn't complaining. Firamon grinned as well, deciding it was time to end this battle before it dragged on for too much longer. Flames sprung to life around his entire body, making him look like a flaming missile as he glided forth. Sethmon got himself up just in time to see the newest attack coming at him and his eyes widened in shock.

"Flame Dive!" Firamon called, naming his trump attack as he viciously rammed into Sethmon, knocking the beast off of his feet and slamming him into the side of the cavern. The impact was so great, it left a deep indent in the stone, embedding the armored beast helplessly. Firamon flew back before he charged up another Fira Bomb and sent it forward. The flames slammed into Sethmon's exposed underside, making him scream in pain for a short moment before his body disintegrated into bits of data. With the battle over, the kids and their partners cheered their victory.

"Oh, I'm so glad, we won!" Megan said, sighing with relief, a smile on her face. Brent seemed to have calmed down from his near panic attack, giving a bit of a smile of his own.

"Firamon, you were amazing!" Scott congratulated his digivolved partner. Firamon grinned for a moment before he glowed with a yellow light and shrunk back down to his previous form. Coronamon stood there, grinning proudly before he ran to his partner and jumped into his arms, happily nuzzling into his chest.

"It's only because you were in trouble, Scott. I'd do anything to protect you! Even digivolve!" he reported happily. Scott couldn't help but chuckle, smiling happily himself. Now that the battle was over and there was no immediate danger, Megan and Brent were quick to go check on their own partners.

"Are you alright, Renamon? You did well yourself; you should be proud." Megan said to the fox ninja, wearing an encouraging smile. Renamon stood up, nodding to her partner in reply, though did not give a verbal reply.

Brent, meanwhile, helped his partner to sit up, a concerned expression on his face. "Are you hurt, Liollmon?" he asked softly. The lion just gave a reassuring grin.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry, it'll take more than that to take me out!" he boasted. The timid boy just smiled at his partner's words. The Armadillomon elder approached them, a proud smile beaming on his face.

"Children, thank you so much for your service to the village. I had thought the other group of children managed to defeat Sethmon before, but it seems we were all fooled into thinking he had been killed. Now, however, there is no longer any doubt. Please, feel free to spend the night here. The moon must be in the sky by now and it is dangerous to travel the plains at night." he insisted.

"Thank you for your hospitality, sir." Megan replied kindly. She definitely liked the idea of sleeping in a warm, safe place instead of out in the open, but she supposed eventually they'd have to. There was a lot of excitement today and they all could use the rest. Come the morning, they would head out after the other group of children, traveling towards the Cog Mountains in the distance. None of them knew, however, of the evils brewing in the shadows…

(Current Day: Digital World: Unknown Location)

A group of six shadowy figures were convened, discussing the progress of their plans. "So it seems Sethmon was defeated….how disappointing. There was no Prism Shard in that area in the end." one of them mused, clearly not pleased with that turn of events.

"There are still plenty of other locations to check. Not only that, but the children summoned into the world are still separated. If we eliminate them before they can all group together, then we will destroy any opposition." a second one spoke up.

"We had not anticipated the Three Great Angels to have sent out messages for help…It had to be a split-second decision. There was no way they could have planned it all beforehand. Just when we thought we had them, they spring this on us…" the third one commented, agitation clear in their voice.

"Calm yourself. We can still prevail. They still have no idea who they are or why they are here. So long as they stay separated and uneducated, then we can still do as we please." the fourth remarked.

"Let us focus for now, then, on searching for the Prism Shards. We will need them for our plans to enter the next phase." the fifth insisted.

"Yes...These children are nothing to be concerned about quite yet. Though their ability to cause digivolution is something to consider, it's doubtful they know how it works or that they'd be able to go beyond Ultimate level at most. We should be fine." the sixth assured. "Let us continue our search; you all know which areas are under your jurisdictions, of course."

"We will reconvene later once we have more information to share." the first agreed. "Take care, everyone." With that, the six figures vanished, as if they were never there.

**And now we have the second chapter! Things are getting interesting now! Next chapter, I'll be switching over to the second group of Digidestined and see what they're up to. Yes, that's right, there's _two_ groups this time! It'll be awhile before they meet up with each other, but I'll be sure to let you know when I'm switching, so please pay attention to these little notes at the end!  
**


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